How To Remove Tape Residue Off Clothes

We use tape everywhere, whether it is for packaging, pricing, or even sewing. Knowing how to remove tape residue off clothes is crucial because accidents do happen.

Everyone has faced the icky situation when your clothes are left behind with a sticky patch.

This is because some tapes like to leave behind a little souvenir, or trail, of themselves.

If you have ever been placed in this situation before, you might’ve been like me and tried to scrub at it until the sticky residue came off.

Perhaps you even tried to use some soap. Or maybe you were a little smarter and simply put the issue to Google.

If so, you may be overwhelmed by the response you got – after all, there are so many different ways of removing that sticky residue off clothes.

Everyone has faced it, and everyone has their own solution. Unfortunately, not all of these are equally effective.

This is because it depends upon the type of material as well as the sort of tape that has been used.

Here are the best ideas to get rid of the residue – how to remove tape residue off clothes:

Solution 1: No-Sew tape residue method

No-sew tape is great for making easy work of joining fabric together but can leave some leftovers.

If you’ve gotten some no-sew tape residue left behind and are looking for ways to make this disappear, there is a simple solution to this.

All you need is a paper towel and an iron. Press the paper towel down on the spot – it is sure to stick, because of the residue.

Now just take that iron of yours and run it over the affected area a couple of times. Don’t leave it on too long or else your cloth will be left with a burn mark instead – and these are nearly impossible to get off.

Now just remove the paper towels and you are left with a clean piece of cloth instead.

However, if you are looking to remove some packaging or duct tape residue, Solution 2 is the one for you.

Solution 2: How To Remove Tape Residue Off Clothes with Woolite

If you are willing to spend just a little more time, try this out.

Packaging tape and duct tape are clearly not meant for clothes as we can tell from all the adhesive stains they leave behind.

The answer for dealing with this is in Woolite, especially if your clothing is made of cotton.

However, a patch test is recommended in an inconspicuous little corner before you jump into this.

Step 1:

Take a container that is big enough to submerge the affected items in while also allowing them to swirl around a little.

Now fill it up with cold water, because warm water can make the clothes shrink.

But don’t put your clothes in just yet!

Step 2:

Enter Woolite into the game. But check the label beforehand, you don’t want to put in too much! Here you can see the quantity per volume and decide accordingly.

Step 3:

Now you can add in the affected clothing. Let it soak in the mixture for a good half hour before moving on to the next step. Some gentle kneading here and there wouldn’t hurt either. Instead, this may help remove the adhesive stains much faster.

Step 4:

The residue has already been sufficiently attacked and is probably ready to come off. It no longer feels ingrained in your clothes, but is more prone to becoming lumpy when you rub it between your fingers. So try and rub the affected area gently and this will help loosen the residue.

Step 5:

Once this works, it is game over for sticky stains! A clean up is required however, so just rinse out the cloth with some more cold water. Now lay it down flat to dry off. Unfortunately, if this doesn’t help you win the battle, maybe Solution 3 will.

Solution 3:

This is a simple one. All you need is some waterless hand cleaner, water, pre-wash stain remover, and some regular old detergent.

Step 1:

Once you’ve got that tape off, just rub in some of that waterless hand cleaner onto the affected patch using your fingers.

Small bits of the icky goop will begin coming off. Keep doing this for as long as needed – you can even use some more of that hand cleaner!

Step 2:

Rinse out the clothing with water once you’ve done all you can.

Step 3:

Now we pull out the big guns. Put on the pre-wash stain remover where the stain once was to ensure that nothing is left behind when you are done with it.

Step 4:

Once this is done, wash it off with that regular detergent, and the battle is won! It was a good fight.

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